Innovation Symposium

This was a museum where one’s inner child could be set loose! We were surrounded by original inventions that have completely changed our world. How was this museum different than the rest? It was interactive. My favorite interactive exhibit was a room called the “Listening Room” where one could “listen” and see the human element of the internet. Around a hundred screens were positioned in the room and each screen displayed text from the museum’s live, internet chatrooms. For a New Media student like myself, this was insanely cool.

One of the greatest outcomes from this adventure was the debate that was sparked at that night’s roundtable. We were asked to take a stand for the “best” approach to stimulating social and/or environmental change. Grouped in twos, we entered into a heated debate that went from logical to emotionally defensive quickly. That night we learned how to communicate our ideas effectively to others as well as take a person’s criticism and use it to benefit our stand. Overall, a very good day!

Tags: 2010 by mm50
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Our initial project proposals were due today, and we presented them to our group.  Just to show you how wonderful our group is and the change that we are going to have I am going to share with you what each person’s project is going to be.  You will see how innovation comes in all sorts of packages.  Each of us have something very special to offer our communities.  I hope you are as proud of our group as I am when you see what is to come with the development of these projects.

In the order presented in this morning’s discussion:

Megan:  “Let There Be Light”.  Implement a legacy program for the terminally ill (population base in development).  Provide opportunity for patient to have a sense of purpose through sharing their past knowledge/experiences as well as a gift for the families that will be left behind.

Greg:  A Health and Wellness Center at IU Kokomo.  While this has been attempted by administration over the past few years, it has not been able to get off the ground.  Greg’s plan is to try and utilize a location on campus that is not being used and start small and grow it from there.  He states his world has opened up through education broadening his mind and he would like to pay it forward to help IU Kokomo get this vision achieved.

Brandie:  Arts summer camp for underprivileged children.  Single parents and low income families do not have the means to provide extra curricular opportunities for their children.  Through this camp children will be able to build their self esteem by gaining artistic skills in a setting that the family otherwise could not afford. 

Ann (aka Nurse Ann as we have two Anns):  Ophthalmology referral program for patients with complicated ocular needs at the Trinity Free Health Clinic.  Trinity Free Health Clinic is the only clinic in Hamilton County currently providing free optical services and glasses to the underserved population.  There is not a network of Ophthalmologists in place at this time, and it is greatly needed.  Additionally, create an RX program for patients that need expensive optical prescription medications for the interim while the patient advocate helps them set up pharmaceutical assistance through other resources.

Geny:  Literacy Program for teenage youth in Rossville.  Studies show that teenage boys and girls who have good reading skills are less likely to engage in sexual activities at a young age.  By establishing this program and creating partnerships in the community she is hopeful to help reduce the increasing teen pregnancy rate in this community.

Anne (the prettier Anne):  Establish an education program with alternative learning for students that are struggling in school through the means of travel.  She would like to create a network with programs already established in Indianapolis and implement them in her own community in Kokomo, Indiana.  Her belief is that not all children learn best in the structure of a traditional classroom setting, and therefore this alternative learning will provide another means to gain confidence and knowledge.

Norma:  Establish assistance for Hispanic families that have children of preschool age in Logansport, Indiana.  This assistance is to provide education with a strong focus on overcoming language barriers.  Her program is unique in that there will also be an emphasis on educating parents as well as the children on the importance of learning English to enable children the greatest opportunities once they start kindergarten.  She intends to establish networks with Reading Railroad, and colleges to help foster this program.

Nicole:  ”SANDY”:  Sports and Nutrition Developed Young.  Establish a sports and nutrition facility to combat obesity.  Her intention is to start with a food service program and grow it into sports recreation programs.  Joining the two together will help combat obesity in today’s youth.  She states that studies show this generation will be the first that will have a shorter life expectancy than their parents. 

Toni:  Assist with improving/maintaining the health and well-being of domestic animals in underprivileged homes.  Some options include a ”Meals on Wheals” program for animals, education components and co-op with another program that is currently addressing similar aspects.  Her belief is that underprivileged families deserve to have the companionship of pets and this assistance will help enable them to do so.

Justin:  Elimination of Illiteracy in Tipton County with a focus on the adults in Tipton County that can’t read or have difficulty doing so for various reasons (e.g. vision impairment).  Additionally, he would like his program to supply adults with their own books, and audio books for those with visual ailments.  His belief is that through improved reading skills the adults will be able to build confidence and develop critical thinking skills.

I AM SO PROUD OF OUR GROUP!!!! 

While these programs are at the beginning phases and may go through adjustments and changes, we are off to a great start!

Tags: 2010, Uncategorized by splinters
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Hello everyone, one of our first experiences that I was looking forward to do was Flemings Lab. We got to Saint Mary’s Hospital to meet with curator Kevin. He gave as the tour and It was amazing to experience the development of penicilin. I found facinating to see how patience and determination is a great part of innovations. we got to see some of the utencils use by Fleming himself including the dish in which he observed the anusual. Hey!! pay attention and look carefully for strange things and you may discover the innovasion that will change the world as Fleming did.
cheers and MIND THE GAP haha :0)

Tags: 2010 by nsaenz
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Hello everyone just wanted to let you know about my travels to the British Museum : It was unbelievably beautiful! I really enjoyed traveling back in time, and going to such places as Greece, Rome, China Africa and so many more. What really enjoyed was looking at the way that all of these regions communicated. Carving the daily routines of a society into stone was an affective way of telling stories. Each region developed their own way of communicating and passing the history/legacy of their trib. Clearly someone saw a need and created a fix. Innovation at its best !!!!!! Cheers

originally posted: 2010/05/21 at 4:08 PM

Tags: 2010 by ameriweth
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Westminster Abbey was unbelievably beautiful! Although I enjoyed the architecture, there was much more to be seen there. I really took pleasure in our walk around the Abbey while everyone discussed their innovators that were assigned to them. I talked about Geoffrey Chaucer and Aphra Behn, and why they were considered innovators. The innovators that are buried in the Abbey accomplished such great things. I really admire them all and what they’ve done. They even taught me that it was OK to think differently or with a child-like quality. It only takes one great idea to initiate more. The visit in the Abbey also made me do a little bit of self-assessing. I realized that I need to stop thinking so critically and to completely change my thought process. This visit was very enlightening.

To learn more about Westminster Abbey visit:

2010/05/21 at 12:58 PM

Tags: 2010 by nj25
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When I volunteered to blog on our day with John and Marsha Ratcliff, and Walter with the Carmen company, I realized this assignment came with a great responsibility. These are probably the most amazing people in the world with regards to service for humanitarian improvement. John and Marsha are not hurting for friends, resources or things to do. What they are hurting on is time. I am humbled and ever so grateful that the Ratcliffs and Walter spent their entire Saturday afternoon with our group. For me, it has been the most inspirational afternoon I have had on this journey. John, Marsha and Walter are a prime example of what teamwork is and how it can be successful. All of them are quite humble but well aware of the impact they have been able to provide to various charities, primarily supporting The Variety Club. This trio has raised millions of dollars through innovative thinking. Their innovative thinking is another way of saying these folks are creative, persistant and resourceful. I would like a dollar (or pound) for each time one of them has said…”What if we…”. I would probably be quite wealthy in an economical sense.
But what is wealth? Is it how much money you have in your pocket, account or shares of stocks you have obtained. I think John and Marsha understand that wealth comes from the love that you have in your heart and from the relationships established along the way. While they may have a successful business, and I anticipate Walter is well compensated for his tireless efforts to run the Carmen delivery company, they are giving and humble individuals that have a wealth of compassion, love and passion for helping those that they come in contact with.
I had a brief discussion with Marsha. I have concern as I am a new graduate getting ready to enter the field of nursing. There is a great desire in my heart to help the underserved in my community and through mission trips to third world countries. I find I am torn at balancing family, work/school, community and friends. I imagine Marsha is far more challenged with this than I as she states they don’t say no, they just try to figure out how. Marsha’s answer to my question of balance is focus on today. What is the priority, and what needs my attention now? If you worry about the next two weeks, you will go mad. Her analogy is “How do you eat an elephant?” Her answer is “One bite at a time.”
Thank you so much John, Marsha and Walter for taking the time to inspire us. I hope I have given you the justice you deserve in this blog, as you inspired each one of us during our afternoon visit. I will never forget that afternoon, nor will any of my fellow classmates!
God Bless!

2010/05/21 at 1:04 PM

Tags: 2010 by splinters
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Today brought us an interesting opportunity that no previous Innovation Symposium group has been able to experience.  We volunteered to assist Andrew Potter, Harlaxton’s Head Gardener (yes, that’s really his name), in potting several plants and sprucing up the Conservatory for a wedding tomorrow.  Though the students have been exhausted by what they consider to be Karla’s force-march across Britain (a good argument for more P.E. in schools or perhaps a commendation for little old gray-haired English teachers who can still walk the walk), they participated willingly.  When Andrew opened the large boxes of small plants–each plant wrapped in newspaper and bound with a rubber band–they converged like ants on sugar and set to work.  It was fun to watch them sort out the duties and move with the precision of a team–exactly what they are becoming.  They didn’t even shy away from setting up the gazebo.  Let me tell you what this indicates about this group:

1.  They are willing to serve.  We saw that on Day 1 when Nurse Ann, only three days post-graduation, raced across three lanes of very busy London traffic to aid a cyclist hit by a car on Westminster Bridge.  We saw that when Cast-iron Greg (ask him about the octupi occupying his seafood pasta) hoisted cases onto the train–not just for our group.  We saw it when Norma offered her translation abilities in the hotel in London so that some travelers from Spain could get the help they needed from the concierge.  We see it again and again and again in each of these IS members.

2.  They take initiative.  Now that these students are getting their “England legs” and are beginning to feel comfortable in their temporary home, they are stepping up.  We saw that early with Megan’s pre-departure creation of small itinerary booklets, personalized for each of us.  We saw it from Brandie’s observant action when she noticed that a currency exhanger was charging the group an excessive service fee–and the negotiations began.  We saw that in the band (Nicole, Justin, Toni, Anne, and Geny) that braved Sainsbury’s to buy groceries for the rest of the crew so that the others could rest.  We see it in so many daily actions from everyone in the group.

3.  They care about how they are representing themselves, the university, and the IS.  These folks have passion for making the world a better place, and they want to do that in all of the right ways.  They are also representing our two previous IS groups well; just as with those two groups, everyone wants to spend more time with them, and everyone is glad they came to England.  They have the Watling glasses from John and the Royal Navy gear from Brendan to prove it!

I got to say hello to tomorrow’s bride.  She was so pleased that our group was helping to pot the flowers that will be part of her wedding photos.  She very quickly added, “We also have some American friends coming to the ceremony tomorrow,” clarifying that she had already established a connection between our students, her friends, and in essence all things American, and that the connection left an extremely positive impression on her.  As John and Marsha Rae Ratcliff remind us, it’s all about establishing relationships and making those connections.  Indeed.  These students are on their way!

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